A Newburgh, New York, man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for possessing a stolen and loaded handgun that he tried to get through security at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Desmond Herring, 48, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of carrying a weapon on an aircraft. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Herring submitted a carry-on bag for inspection at Newark Liberty International Airport on Nov. 29, 2021.
During the screening of Herring’s luggage, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent who identified ammunition and a suspected firearm immediately contacted the Port Authority Police Department.
Upon seeing that his bag containing the stolen firearm had attracted additional attention, Herring left the security checkpoint area without the satchel and walked to a departure gate for his flight to Atlanta, Georgia.
Further investigation of Herring’s bag revealed that it contained a 9 millimeter pistol, 10 rounds of 9 millimeter ammunition loaded into a magazine, and 150 additional rounds of 9 millimeter ammunition.
Due to his 2010 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, Herring is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Herring to two years of supervised release.